The COVID-19 pandemic has had a mixed effect on the medical device industry. As people have forgone elective procedures and hospital visits, major manufacturers such as Johnson and Johnson and Medtronic have reported drops in sales over the first half of 2020.

Meanwhile, there are areas within the medical device industry that have seen a spike in demand due to the pandemic. Specifically, it’s products related to the care and treatment of COVID-19 patients: mechanical ventilators, plus equipment such as respirators and face shields.

At the start of 2020, according to the Society of Critical Care Medicine, hospitals around the U.S. had a combined stock of approximately 160,000 mechanical ventilators, with another 12,700 available in the Strategic National Stockpile. With ventilators being a key tool in the frontline fight against the virus, and with hospitalizations trending upward as of late July according to the COVID Tracking Project, the demand for this equipment has risen sharply. A June 2020 article in

Rely on our Medical Device Portfolio

As the need for medical devices surges, count on our portfolio of IEC 60601-1 compliant materials

8

label.averydennison.com

All Avery Dennison statements, technical information and recommendations are based on tests believed to be reliable but do not constitute a guarantee or warranty. All Avery Dennison products are sold with the understanding that purchaser has independently determined the suitability of such products for its purposes. All Avery Dennison products are sold subject to Avery Dennison's general terms and conditions of sale found at label.averydennison.com/en/home/terms-and-conditions.html.

© 2021 Avery Dennison Corporation. All rights reserved. Avery Dennison® is a registered trademark of Avery Dennison Corporation. Avery Dennison brands, product names, antenna designs and codes or srvice programs are trademarks of Avery Dennison Corporation.

NS Medical Devices predicted a CAGR of more than 10 percent through 2025 for the ventilation and intubation supplies market.

All of this spells a real need in the industry for label conversion. Durable labels are critical for the production and use of this equipment, and converters serving these manufacturers can rely on our Medical Device Portfolio to help them produce those labels and get them to market faster.

Producing labels for medical electronic devices? Get familiar with IEC 60601

Label converters working with manufacturers of ventilators and other medical electronic devices should be familiar with UL IEC 60601-1.

IEC 60601-1 is a set of standards covering performance and safety for medical electric equipment.

The standards are published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and managed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

These standards include labeling, describing it as a “critical component of a medical device.” Specifically, they require the following test protocol:

‣ That both internal and external markings are clearly legible and that all required external markings are durable.

‣ That external markings are tested with water, methylated spirit, and isopropyl alcohol.

‣ That each substance is rubbed on the external marking for 15 seconds with a cloth rag.

‣ That the external markings are clearly legible and that labels do not fall off or curl after the rub treatments.

A portfolio of label solutions verified for UL IEC 60601

Avery Dennison offers a portfolio of label constructions that have been verified for the UL IEC 60601-1 standard. We’ve verified these with a wide variety of flexographic ink systems and colors. And all the products currently in the portfolio have been verified for substrates including aluminum;

glass; acrylic, epoxy, and polyester powder paint; and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). You can find the portfolio of solutions on page 54.

Save time and money with UL file adoption

With file adoption, a converter must still contact UL to get the process started. But rather than go through the lengthy evaluation and approval process, the converter simply notifies UL of the intent to adopt from the Avery Dennison file of IEC 60601-1 pre-approved labels that have already passed inspection.

Simply put, file adoption saves a lot of time and money in getting a label to market. This could be especially pertinent in the current situation, with companies rushing to get equipment to frontline healthcare workers and their patients.

Please contact your Avery Dennison sales representative to discuss your customer’s specific needs, identify the right product for the application, and get guidance for the UL adoption process.

9

AD

Co

nn

ec

t Q4

| 20